


A glimmer in his eyes

by herilaveur



Category: SKAM (France)
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-08
Updated: 2020-02-08
Packaged: 2021-02-28 06:19:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22619257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/herilaveur/pseuds/herilaveur
Summary: What if Lucas and Elliot hadn't met?What if eliott adopts a snake and it changes his life? And Lucas' life in the process...What if there's a huge misunderstanding here?
Relationships: Eliott Demaury/Lucas Lallemant, Eliott Demaury/Lucille (SKAM France)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 70





	A glimmer in his eyes

Lucas takes the keychain out of his pocket. He tests each of the keys before he finds the right one and is able to access the lobby of the building.  
He's not particularly excited about moving in here tomorrow. In fact, he's not excited at all.  
If he had a choice, he would have stayed with Mika and Nico. But then he understood that the couple wanted more privacy. Not that they told him directly. But Lucas feels at home now, living in a guest room, even though he has been living in this apartment for 6 years with Mika and Nico has only been part of the decor for a little more than a year.  
So he made up his mind and he found this apartment. It's not too far from his work, too. At 22, for the first time in his life, he's going to have his own place to himself. And if he's honest with himself, he'll admit he's a little scared of it. 

His cell phone's buzzing in his pocket. He looks at Basil's message that he'll be there the next day at 9:00 a.m. to help him. Not that he's a lot of business, anyway. Luckily, the place is furnished.

He goes up to the second floor of the building and tests the keys one by one. The sound of a door slamming in the apartment across the bearing startled him. As he tests the third key, the door behind him opens. He can't help but turn around but says nothing, when he realizes that the girl behind him is really upset. 

''How dare you do this, Eliott?'' she screams, trying to get her shoes on. ''Holy shit, how could you think I'd let you do this?''

Lucas hurries to try another key, now wanting to get back to the quiet of his new apartment.

"Calm down, you're getting all worked up over nothing." 

The voice is calm, which is a complete contrast to the girl's. Lucas turns around and sees a boy, probably older than him, also taller, hair totally messed up, a solid smile on his face.

"Hello'' he says softly as he meets Lucas' eyes.

Lucas drops his keys. The girl looks at him with a black look, as if she only now realizes his presence.  
He bends over to pick them up, mumbling "Hello." and puts the first available key in the lock, which finally opens. He hurries in and slams the door behind him. But he can't take a step, and slams his ear to the door.

''Eliott. I wouldn't put up with that. I put up with a lot for you. But I can't take any more of your episodes! This is one too many!"

"Brian's not an episode!" the boy shouts.

He seems really upset. He knows it's wrong to eavesdrop, but he can't move.

''Don't tell me you're gonna let me go, Elliot.'' Shouts the girl, ''You're gonna break up nine years of a relationship like that? Because if you choose to, I'm not coming back this time. I'm not kidding, Elliot. Enough is enough."

''Well, fuck off, Lucille. Over nine years, we've spent at least seven of them pretending to be okay, leaving each other and then getting back together without even knowing why. So if you want to go, go. I'm staying with Brian."

''But it's all your fault, Elliot, it's all your fault. If you were normal, we could have had a normal love affair. But you can never have that, Elliot. You're too broken. If I leave, you'll never find anyone to stay with you."

"Brian will be there."

The boy's voice is confident and Lucas can't help but think how lucky Brian must be to count so much for this boy to be fighting so hard for him.

"Eliott, think hard."

''This was all thoughtful.''

And the door slams. 

And Lucas stands up on his tiptoes and looks through his peephole. It makes him feel like a little old lady spying on his neighbours, but he doesn't care. He watches the brown girl knock on the door and then leaves.

He thinks about it in the evening, in his bed. His last night as a roommate. They spent the night watching movies on Netflix. Finally looking at him, while Mika and Nico were whispering and kissing. Lucas doesn't mind. He's so happy that Mika has found someone who makes him want to settle down that he can't help but be happy for him.  
Mika offered him a home when he needed one. He helped him accept himself and reveal his homosexuality to his friends. He tried to hook him up with a few guys, even though Lucas never hooked up.  
The problem is,lucas is a romantic. He wants to meet a guy and his heart misses a beat when he sees him for the first time. He wants to meet him by chance, not because they logged on to an app at the same time. And most of all, he wants a love story, not just a connection.  
So for now, he's alone. But he's really hoping to find the right one someday. A guy who would fight for him, like his new neighbor fought for Brian this morning. Lucas falls asleep thinking it must be really nice to be in love like that.

"Watch out Baz, it's fragile" moans Lucas.

''Fucking Lucas. You said you didn't have much stuff." Blows Yann's brains out.

"Let's take a break" asks Arthur. And he poses before the boys have time to accept.

The boys imitate him and Lucas doesn't dare look at his friends.

"You could have chosen a building with an elevator." Basil grumbles, straightening himself up. "Or a ground floor."

"Are you sure it'll pass?" asks Yann, septic, looking at the stairs.

''I measured everything. It's coming through," confirms Lucas. 

He looks at his piano, then at the stairs and wonders if he measured it wrong. And yet, he checked. Twice. Otherwise he wouldn't have taken this apartment. He doesn't need much in his life, but he needs his piano to be able to exorcise what's wrong. Besides, it's the only thing he inherited from his grandfather.

''Come on, guys, let's go again.'' says Lucas ''1.2 and 3.''

The boys lift the piano and climb the first floor before putting it down.

"Which flat is it?" Basil asks, looking at the landing.

Lucas dies with his lower lip.

''Fuck, he lied. I don't believe it." Yann blows one hand through his hair.

"What?" Arthur screams. And the boys signal him to keep his voice down.

"I'm sorry," he says. "Sorry. What? Are you kidding me?"

And Lucas shrugs his shoulders and says "Sorry," and then he waves his hands and does a deuce.

"Two more floors?"

"No. I'm on the second floor." 

Basil's got a plague on Lucas. Arthur looks at him, nods, says he's talking too fast so Basil hits Lucas in the back of the head and makes it look like he's strangling him.

''Ready? I promise, I live right upstairs," says Lucas.

"Do you want some help?"

Lucas recognizes Eliott right away. He's wearing a grey hoodie, hood still on his head and jeans that are totally torn at the knees. 

"Hi, I'm Eliott."

The boys say hello and introduce themselves. 

"Do you wanna come over?" Arthur asks, stepping aside.

"No. I want to help you." says Eliott, looking at Lucas, "if you don't mind."

Arthur looks at Lucas and he signs what Elliot just said. Eliot looks at him a little surprised.

"Arthur's deaf", Lucas says, "you have to look at him to talk to him, so he can read your lips."

"So-r-ry" said Eliott, articulating too much. 

The four boys burst out laughing.

''I'm not stupid'' said Arthur, putting his hand on Elliot's shoulder ''just deaf. Just talk to me normal."

''Okay, sorry. Well, then, can i help ?"

"Absolutely!"

Ten minutes later, the piano it's in Lucas' new living room and they're sharing a beer together.

"Good thing you have an upright piano," laughs Eliott.

"Have you lived here long, Eliott?" Yann asks between sips.

"For four years."

"Do you live alone?" asked Basile before winking at Lucas. 

If he could, Lucas would slap him now. Fortunately, Eliott doesn't seem to have noticed Basil's gesture.

"Uh... yeah."

He raises his beer and looks up at Lucas.

"To new encounters."

"And the fucking piano." Basil laughs. "Cheer up, man. Lucas plays great, but it's unbearable to hear at 2:00 in the morning."

"I won't play at 2:00 a.m." Lucas promises.

"You already have." Yann remarks.

''We were in an almost abandoned house, just between us. It's not the same.'' grumbles Lucas.

"Hey" pest Basil " my grandfather's house isn't abandoned."

The boys start laughing.

"It was a perfect holiday. And then that's when..."

Yann punches Basil so hard in the ribs that he shuts up. He looks at his buddy, looking furious, but Yann points at Eliott with his head.

"I'm going to leave you" finally says Eliott as he puts down his beer and gets up from the sofa.

"No, wait." says Basil.

''All right. Don't worry about it, man. I got to go see Brian anyway, I'm sure he's been waiting for a while. Have a good day, guys..."

''Thanks for your help, Eliott.'' said Lucas as he opened the front door. 

Eliott puts his hand on Lucas' arm. And bends so that their faces are close.

''With great pleasure. See you soon, I guess."

Lucas nods his head and watches as Eliott goes home.

When he meets his friends in the living room, Basil's eyes are still wide open.

''Damn, your neighbour's totally warms up to you.'' Arthur ends up saying.

"What?" Lucas is surprised. "Wait, but he's not."

"Totally." Basil confirms, "He sat next to you and kept touching his knee to his knee. And then he touches your arm and says "See you soon..." Did you hear his suggestive voice?"

Lucas gets a second beer from sitting next to Yann.

''Okay. You guys just relax. First of all, he left his girlfriend yesterday because he's dating the famous Brian."

''So, he likes guys, too,'' Basil concludes.

''And he's not single.'' continues Lucas.

"Pfff" Basil waves his hand in the air. "You're much better than a Brian."

"I agree." Arthur admits.

Lucas starts laughing at the nonsense of his friends.

"You don't even know what he looks like."

"Yeah. That's just a detail."

Lucas looks at Yann, begging him with his eyes to come to his rescue.

"Okay" ends up saying Yann says, "Leave Lucas alone. Shall we play? Do you have new ones, Lucas?"

And the boys spend the rest of the day playing video games, eating pizza and drinking beer.  
Basile leaves first, around 9:00 p.m , so he can pick up Daphne when she gets off work. She's been a nurse at the hospital for two years. 

Arthur and Yann sleep at Lucas' and they spend the rest of the evening reminiscing about their almost identical evenings in high school.

Finally, Lucas is quite happy with his new apartment. It is closer to his work than the one he used to share with Mika, which allows him to get home faster in the evening to relax. He hasn't even felt like playing the piano since he's been here. It's a bit sad, but Lucas only plays when he's depressed. So he sits on his couch with a cup of coffee in his hand and enjoys sitting quietly at home on a Friday night after a long week.  
Not that he doesn't love his job. Lucas loves what he does. But he had deadlines to meet and it's been stressing him out a lot.  
The doorbell pulls him out of his daydream. He's surprised to find Eliott at his door, two beers in hand.

''Hello, Lucas. How are you?"

''Hi, Eliott. Fine and you?"

There's a big smile on the boy's face. 

"Would you like a beer?" Eliott asks, showing what he's holding in his hands.

"What's the occasion?" asks Lucas, and immediately he regrets it. He doesn't need a reason to want to share a good time with his neighbor. And then he thinks back to Brian and realizes that he's totally into movies.

"Just to get to know each other better" suggests Eliott, handing him a beer. 

Lucas steps aside to let him in and Eliott goes to the couch. They toast and Lucas watches Eliott take a sip. 

"So, what do you do for a living?" asks Eliott, looking at him. "Are you a pianist?"

Lucas laughs and looks at his piano.

''Oh, no. I only play for... for the fun of it. It feels good to play."

"I live across the bearing and I've never heard you play," says Eliott, looking at the piano.

Lucas bites his lower lip and realizes that Eliott's gaze is now on his lips. 

''I've had a busy week. I'm a video game tester."

And, of course, Elliot laughs out loud. As does every person that Lucas tells his work to.

''You're a game tester? Do you get paid for this?" Eliott seems skeptical.

''Of course I get paid for it. It's what I do for a living. I even went to school for it."

So Eliot stops laughing and looks at him in amazement, which makes Lucas laugh.

''Yeah, yeah, I went to school for this. I did an OTC in computer science and digital imaging and now I work for a development company. I play so I can fix bugs, basically."

Eliott is now sitting on the edge of the couch and always looks at Lucas and smiles.

''It's so cool.'' He blows as he puts his beer on the coffee table. ''You're surprising.''

The way he says his words gives Lucas a twinge in his heart. Because he knows that Elliot means it, but he also knows that Elliot only has eyes for Brian. 

''I like surprising people.'' Slips Eliott in gently while he looks at him.

Lucas freezes and wonders if Basil isn't right. Is Elliot openly flirting with him?

"What are you doing?"

His voice is weaker than he'd like, but he's glad he broke the silence.

So, Eliott grabs his beer and sits back on the couch.

"I'm a children's book illustrator."

Lucas chokes on a sip of his beer and Eliott starts laughing while coming to pat him on the back.

"Wow, I'm making an impression on you."

Lucas feels his cheeks turn red and starts coughing.

''Sorry. I just wasn't expecting that."

"Why?" 

And Elliot is standing next to Lucas... They're way too close together for two boys who just met. If they were at a party, or if Elliot were single, it would be different. But right now, Lucas feels like he's sending the wrong signals to Eliott, so he takes a step back and looks at him from head to toe.

''You don't really look like you'd work with kids.'' Lucas' gully.

Eliott puts his head down. He's wearing ripped pants on both thighs and knees and a grey hoodie.

"Why not?" laughs Elliot. "Besides, I draw for the kids, not with them. I draw for the writers, according to their commissions. I love that."

Lucas nods his head and a heavy silence returns to the living room. Lucas checks his phone, which vibrates and answers a message.

"Sorry, that was Arthur."

He immediately wonders why he's justifying himself. But Elliot sits on the couch, nodding his head and nodding his head.

"Can I ask you a question?" he finally asks.

Lucas smiles.

"Do you want to know why he talks as well as you and I do?"

Eliott nods, embarrassed.

''He wasn't born deaf. He was born deaf after a concert at 17. I mean, he was almost deaf. He could hear with hearing aids. But his father couldn't stand that he was any different, so he convinced him to have surgery to give him a chance to get his hearing back. Since his father's a surgeon, Arthur trusted him. But the surgery went wrong, and he's been totally deaf for three years."

"His dad's a jerk," says Elliot in a harsh voice.

"I agree." Grant Lucas. "He'd have done less damage if he'd accepted his son the way he is. When you love someone, you accept them for who they are."

Eliott looks at him, hesitates, then looks away to look at his watch.

"I'm gonna have to go."

"Brian's waiting for you" says Lucas, immediately regretting his words.

Eliott shrugs his shoulders.

''Yeah. He wasn't too happy about me coming here, either."

Lucas looks surprised.

"'Wait, does he know you're here?"

And Eliott puts his hand on Lucas' arm and moves in closer.

''Yeah. I tell him everything."

And he backs up and he walks to the door. He opens it, but he turns around and he says, ''I tell him a lot about you."

It's like there's a voice screaming in Lucas' head. Like it's actually screaming inside his head. What the fuck is that situation? Elliot's totally flirting with him and telling him that his boyfriend knows.  
Lucas has no idea how to react to this whole situation. He thought about it all night and couldn't sleep. So at 9:00 a.m., he calls Mika.

And that's why Mika is now sitting on his couch, taking his role as guru very seriously.

''Okay.'' confirms Mika. ''The only question you have to ask yourself is, what do you want to be for this guy?''

Lucas looks at him in disbelief, so Mika continues.

''Do you let him and accept a hookup or become his sex-friends. Or a threesome, maybe..."

Lucas shakes his head sadly. He'd love to be in bed with Elliot, but not like that.

''Then you have to make it clear to him that you're not interested. Even if you clearly are."

''I don't want to be in a love triangle'' explains Lucas. 

Mika comes up to him and gives him a hug.

"Hey," he says softly, "I understand. You just have to make him understand. Okay?"

At the same time, the doorbell rings and Mika gives a high-pitched scream. Lucas gets up and opens the door, pretty sure Eliott's back there. And of course he does.

''Hi, Lucas. I went to get some croissants, do you want some breakfast?" 

Lucas bites his lip and notices the look on Elliot's face as he licks his own. And it's too much. Very too much.

''No, Elliot, I'm sorry. I'm not gonna be able to do it." says Lucas.

"Don't you like croissants?" Eliott tries to laugh, obviously uncomfortable.

"I'm with my boyfriend," says Lucas.

Why did he say that? He immediately regrets it, especially when he sees Eliott's decomposed face. He's about to speak, but at the same time he feels arms around his waist.

''Hi, I'm Mika. I guess Eliott?"

Elliot nods gently. He looks really disappointed.

''Come on, kitten. I made coffee. We're gonna need it after the short night we've had."

Lucas can't help but take his eyes off Mika as she lays her head on his shoulder. Eliott greets them and goes home.

Lucas closes his door and starts crying into Mika's arms.

''I'm so sorry, kitten. But then he gets it, I think. You'll find a good man, I promise you. Look at me, I've finally found one."

Lucas looks at Mika and smiles.

"Can I borrow Nico?" he asks, laughing.

Mika pretends to be shocked and hits him on the arm, laughing.

''Don't touch. He's the man of my life. We'll get you yours."

Lucas can't help but turn the door to his front door, so Mika puts her hand on his cheek to force him to look away.

''Not that one. One that's 100% available to you, kitten."

Mika stays another hour to chat with Lucas before she leaves so she can be on time for lunch with Nico. He's trying to insist, but Lucas doesn't want to join them. 

He's barely gone when Lucas sits at his piano. He closes his eyes and presses the keys. It is all his sadness that he evacuates when he plays. He accelerates the rhythm and feels like he's caught in a whirlwind of emotions. A few tears run down his cheeks but he doesn't stop. The moment he finally opens his eyes, he starts to scream, while falling from his seat. He's probably never screamed so loud before.

The front door opens. It's a good thing he didn't lock it behind Mika. Lucas is so glad that Eliott came to help him. Until he talks.

"Have you seen Brian?" asks Eliott in a panic.

"Brian? No, I haven't seen Brian. Why would I see him?" Lucas gets pissed off.

Elliot seems surprised.

''But why are you yelling then? And why did you climb up on a chair?"

Lucas looks at his piano and remembers why he screamed.

"There's a fucking snake on my piano."

Eliott looks at the piano and a huge smile spreads across his face.

"Brian."

He walks over to the piano and picks up the snake, which wraps directly around his wrist.

"Brian?" asks Lucas in disbelief as he steps out of his chair.

"Well, yeah. "Why? Eliott looks at Lucas in amazement, then reflects. "Wait, you thought that..."

"I thought Brian was your boyfriend." Lucas confirms as he steps out of his chair.

Eliott laughs, then raises his hand. Brian's head comes out between his index and his ring finger. 

''Ben, he's my friend, and he's short... but that's all there is between us.''

Lucas shifts Elliot's arm so the snake's as far away from him as possible and moves one step forward.

"I was jealous of a snake" he concludes before putting his lips on Eliott's.

But Eliott leaps back, looks at Lucas with a frown and leaves, slamming Lucas' door.

Lucas remains with his arms dangling, standing in the middle of his living room. He reacts only when the door of his apartment opens again, on a visibly angry Eliott.

"Fucking Lucas, what about your boyfriend?" Elliot's voice is angry. He touches his lips, as if to remind himself of the feeling of Lucas' lips on his own. "You can't do this."

Lucas looks up at the sky.

''I don't have a boyfriend.''

Eliott walks up to him, really pissed off.

"I saw him, you know. This morning." 

Lucas shrugs his shoulders and smiles at him as he gets even closer to Eliott.

''I don't have a boyfriend. He was my old roommate. Just a friend. I thought Brian was your boyfriend and I didn't want to be a second choice. So I lied."

Eliott gently kisses Lucas before he says, "You'll never be a second choice."

Lucas fills the gap between their lips again. Their kiss is slow but passionate. Soon their tongues mingle as their hands uncover each other's bodies. Lucas pulls Eliott towards him and they move towards Lucas' room, kissing non-stop.

Lucas feels like he's living a dream all Sunday, and all the following week. They spend their evenings talking, laughing and kissing before they end up in Lucas' bed. Lucas never wants to go to Elliot's because of Brian and Elliot respects that, laughing softly that he is afraid of a baby.  
When on Thursday Eliott waits for Lucas when he gets off work, Lucas' heart misses a beat and Lucas smiles so much that it hurts. But he is happy. 

"You play for me?" Eliott asks him, pointing to the piano, lying on his couch, totally naked, wrapped in the blanket.

Lucas hugs him and shakes his head.

''Sorry. I only play when I'm not feeling well."

And Elliot looks at him and smiles.

''That's how I started drawing, and then I got a taste for it.''

Lucas mixes up their fingers and kisses Elliot's chest.

''Your drawings are so beautiful. You're talented. I'm just banging on the piano to let off steam. So I only play when I need to."

And Eliott laughs and caresses Lucas's playing.

"I hope you never play again, then."

The next day, Lucas is a little disappointed that Eliott doesn't show up for work as planned. They were supposed to go to Daphne and Basile's tonight.  
He sends him a message that goes unanswered, then a second one. He makes a detour to go to his place but Eliott doesn't seem to be there. 

So Lucas goes alone to his friends' house. He wanted to surprise them for Eliott, so he didn't tell them anything. He acts like everything's fine. And if his friends realize he's sad and looks at his phone all night disappointed, they don't say anything. 

Lucas tries knocking on Elliot's door again, but no one answers. So he goes home and despite the late hour, settles down in front of his piano.  
The only song that comes to his mind is what he feels for Eliott: I love you. Again he closes his eyes and lets himself be totally carried away by the music. He presses the last key and opens his eyes. He shouts surprised, but less than last time. 

"Brian, what are you doing here?"

The snake looks at him and sticks out his tongue. Lucas hesitates, but reaches out his trembling hand to him. 

Brian whistles and then wraps it around his wrist. Lucas tries to control his breathing and not to make any sudden movements. He opens his front door and finds himself facing Mika.

''Hi, kitten. What's up, buddy?"

''Yeah. I was just on my way to Elliot's."

Lucas walks past Mika and knocks on Elliot's door, but no one answers. He shrugs his shoulders and backtracked...

Mika's already sitting on his couch.

''Is there anything in particular you want, Mika?'' asks Lucas.

''Yeah. But mostly I just know something's wrong. Tell me everything, kitten. Basile called me, said you weren't feeling well tonight."

Mika suddenly seems really worried. Lucas comes and sits next to him and puts his hand on his thigh.

''Damn Lucas'' screams Mika petrified.

Lucas takes his hand away, laughing.

''Shit. I forgot. I'm sorry, man. Sorry, Brian" he says, looking at the snake.

''No? "Brian?"

Lucas nods his head.

''Yeah. Brian is the baby python of Elliot." He laughs and tells Mika the whole story.

For once, Mika listens silently while he watches Brian out of the corner of his eye. When Lucas gets to the real reason why Elliot isn't here, he thinks. 

''Okay, Lulu. So what's the real reason Brian is at your house?"

''No idea. He just shows up every time I play the piano, like."

''It's kind of weird, though. If he left, why did he leave without him?"

Lucas shrugs his shoulders. He doesn't get it either. He waits all night, hoping to hear Eliott's door open, but it doesn't.

On Mondays, he comes by the pet store to buy a terrarium and take care of Brian. He looks disgusted when he buys defrosted mice, provoking the laughter of the salesman who explains everything he needs to know about baby pythons. He offers to buy Brian back from him but Lucas can't bring himself to do it. He puts his disgust aside to take care of Brian.

He hasn't heard from Elliot all week and starts wondering if he hasn't moved away underhandedly. Lucas is used to people he loves leaving his life. But why would he leave without Brian? Should he report Elliot missing? Should he have reported him already? 

One ring of the doorbell interrupts his thoughts. It's 4:15 in the morning. He doesn't even bother to get dressed and opens the door in his boxers.  
Eliott stands at the door frame. He looks exhausted.

''Lucas'' he whispers. 

He touches Lucas' arm and breaks down in tears. Lucas pulls him up to him and carries him almost to his bed where they lie down, holding his head against his chest.

As the minutes pass Eliott stops crying. When Lucas is about to speak, he realizes that he is asleep.  
He looks totally exhausted. Large blue circles are hollowed out under his eyes. He looks small.  
Lucas hugs him and falls asleep. 

When he wakes up, Eliott is still sleeping next to him. Lucas gets up in bed and checks his phone. It is already noon. He answers a few messages and sends one to Mika to keep him informed of the situation and to cancel their planned lunch.  
He looks at Eliott but does not move from the bed. 

Lucas thinks about it, then takes his phone back and starts to do some research that confirms his suspicions. It is almost 1 pm when Eliott turns around. Lucas puts his phone down. Eliott looks at him as if he is surprised to see him.

''Tell me I'm not dreaming.'' Eliott says softly, resting his head on his chest.

''You're not dreaming, Elliot.'' Lucas just says, stroking his cheek.

Eliott stands up, looks at him and frowns.

''It can only be a dream. You have a snake around your neck, Lucas."

Lucas runs his finger over Brian's neck like a loose collar and shrugs his shoulders.

''He's my little friend, too. We've been keeping each other company while you were gone."

Lucas can feel Elliot reaching out to him.

''Lucas'' he groans. 

''It's okay, Eliott. Just tell me what I can do."

Eliott looks at him in amazement but nods.

''Hold me'' Eliott whispers, resting his head on Lucas.

Lucas wraps his arms around him and Brian glides gently, until he lands on Eliot's back. The three of them stay like this for a long time. 

Then Eliott straightens up and Brian goes up around Lucas' arm.

''Traitor'' throws Eliot for Brian.

Lucas laughs, and Brian runs up his arm to his neck.

''It's my new necklace. He loves it up there."

And Elliot looks at him like he doesn't really believe in it.

''It must really be a dream.'' He whispers as if to himself.

''It's not a dream,'' Lucas tells him, forcing him to look at it. "I'm here. I will always be here, as long as you want me."

"I care about you too much to stay with you," Eliott said in a determined voice. "I shouldn't have come. You don't need this in your life."

"Fucking Elliot, don't give me that bullshit. Your ex was wrong. You can have a real story. You're absolutely not broken. You deserve to be happy."

Elliot seems to be getting smaller.

''But I'm gonna make your life a living hell. I am."

"Bipolar?" cuts Lucas off.

Elliot's keeping his mouth shut. 

"How do you know?"

''I made the connection,'' explains Lucas, ''between everything she told you, your absence, your condition last night... Basil's mother is, and he's had a lot of help with that, so I just made the connection. And I don't care. Really. It doesn't define you."

"You deserve a normal person, Lucas."

''You are normal, Elliot. You're just different. We're all different. Who gives a fuck about that? I just want to be with you." Lucas laughs. "And Brian."

Eliott looks up at the snake that's still around Lucas' neck.

"Looks like he loves you very much."

"I think he's adopted me." Lucas confirms.

"I thought you didn't like snakes?" Eliott laughs softly.

"I don't like snakes. But Brian is different. It's like there's a glimmer in his eyes that makes me trust him."

And then Elliot stands up and kisses him. His lips are dry, but it feels so good to have Lucas kiss him back.

''Thank you, Lucas. That's exactly what I said to Lucille when I brought him home. But she freaked out. I mean, I knew she would. That's why I did it, too. I knew she wouldn't come back because of him. It's the only way I could get her to leave me permanently."

Lucas runs his hand through Elliot's hair.

"You, you brought home a python to break up with your girlfriend without saying it to her face..."

Elliot puts his head down, a little ashamed.

''Yeah, that's the way you could sum it up.''

Lucas laughs out loud. And Elliot looks at him, stunned.

''I'm warning you.'' Lucas laughs. ''If you want to break up with me, just say it out loud. You don't have to bring home a tarantula."

Elliot looks disgusted.

''A tarantula. Oh, no, never. That's disgusting."

The two boys burst out laughing. Lucas tells Elliot how Brian sits on the piano every time he plays.

"I'm sorry you had to play," says Elliot sadly. 

Lucas stands up, taking Eliott's hand in his and takes him to the piano where he plays, smiling, while Brian lies on top of the piano.

It has finally become one of their habits, Friday night to celebrate the end of the week. Lucas sits at the piano while Eliott draws and Brian lies down on the piano.  
But tonight is different. This Friday, Arthur, Yann and Baz come to Lucas' house. He still hasn't told them about him and Eliott, preferring to do it live to see their reaction. Especially Basil's.

"Elliot" exclaimed Basil, entering first, "I'm so happy to see you again, man."

"Hi, Basil." Eliott says, punching him in the fist.

Elliot greets Yann, then turns to Arthur and signs "Hello."

"Oh, man," says Arthur, surprised. "Thank you. That's so sweet."

Eliott turns to Lucas. 

"Lucas is trying to teach me sign language. That's cool."

"It's cool that you guys are friends." Basil remarks.

Lucas looks at his friends and is about to speak when Arthur starts screaming.

"Why you got a fucking snake around your neck, Lucas?"

Yann looks at him and backs directly towards the door, totally scared. 

''It's Brian. He's my little friend and it's the baby snake of Elliot.."

"What?" spells Basil "but."

Lucas slides his hand into Elliot's.

"And Elliot's my boyfriend."

And Elliot laughs and kisses Lucas while his friends are screaming for joy. 

Eliott is rethinking the best decision he has ever made in his life: adopting Brian.


End file.
